1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a harness.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
For convenience of explanation a prior harness producing apparatus will be explained below by referring to FIGS. 19 and 20.
FIGS. 19 and 20 are schematic side views of a prior harness producing apparatus, which includes a cable feeding mechanism 10, a pair of drawing rollers 11, a front side clamp 12, a cutter unit 18, and a rear side clamp 14.
Since it is necessary to produce various kinds of harness according to use, an operator must select a sheathed cable 30 corresponding to a harness to be produced out of a plurality of kinds of sheathed cable in accordance with an indicating card; set the selected sheathed cable 80 in tile harness producing apparatus; and input data on the selected cable through an input means or the like to the apparatus.
When an operation start signal is applied to the apparatus, the apparatus carries out a working process of the set sheathed cable 80 in accordance with the input cable kind. That is, first both clamps 12 and 14 hold the sheathed cable 30 and the cutter unit 18 operates in synchronization with the clamps 12 and 14. Then a middle cutter 13a in the cutter unit 13 cuts off the sheathed cable 30 and opposite side cutters 18b cut into sheaths of the cut-off cables. While maintaining this state, the front side clamp 12 moves in a direction shown by an arrow Q so that the sheathed cable 30 held by the clamp 12 (hereinafter referred to as "residual cable" 30) moves in the direction Q, thereby stripping the sheath from an end of the residual cable 30. At the same time, the rear side clamp 14 moves in a direction shown by an arrow P so that the sheathed cable 30 held by the clamp 14 (hereinafter referred to as "cut cable" 30) is stripped of its sheath at one end.
Then, the residual cable 30 together with the front side clamp 12 move to the paper surface of FIG. 19, a terminal 31 is press-attached to a stripped end of the residual cable 30 by a terminal-pressing machine (not shown), and the front side clamp 12 returns to its original position.
On the other hand, the cut cable 30 together with the rear side clamp 14 moves to the paper surface of FIG. 19, a terminal (not shown) is press-attached-to a stripped end of the cut cable 30 by a terminal-pressing machine (not shown), the cut cable 30 is discharged to a given discharging position, and the clamp 14 returns to the original position.
After the clamps 12 and 14 release the cable, a measuring roller i rotates so that the sheathed cable 30 is fed to the drawing rollers 11. At a little time lag after feeding the cable, the drawing rollers rotate so that the sheathed cable 30 is fed to the rear side clamp 14.
Thereafter, the above steps are repeated to produce the cut cable (harness) which is provided with the terminals 31 on the opposite stripped ends thereof.
The sheathed cable 30 to be worked by such harness producing apparatus has a different wire state such as a sheath hardness, a sheath thickness, a wire diameter, a wire density and the like as well as a cable diameter, dependent on a cable kind. Accordingly, an operator must select a suitable cable kind of a sheathed cable 30 out of a plurality of cable kinds of the sheathed cables 30. Heretofore, the operator has selected the sheathed cable by a visual decision in accordance with a cable kind distinctive mark given on an outer face of the sheathed cable 30. If a selection of the cable kind is mistaken by a human error, the erroneous cable kind of the sheathed cable is worked by the harness producing apparatus and thus an inferior harness different from a desired cable kind in cable diameter, sheath hardness, and wire state is produced. The inferior harness is forwarded as it is thus resulting in the manufacture of faulty goods. In particular, it is difficult to surely eliminate human error since it occurs sporadically. It has been desired to provide a permanent measure to counter such human error.